Register now to gain access to all of our features. Once registered and logged in, you will be able to contribute to this site by submitting your own content or replying to existing content. You'll be able to customize your profile, receive reputation points as a reward for submitting content, while also communicating with other members via your own private inbox, plus much more! This message will be removed once you have signed in.

Share this post

Link to post

And Ocarina, you're totally closeminded. You say the tear shot was done for stylistic purposes, but you don't seem to understand what that means. It is done stylistically, but is done so that it conveys the message that Korra is looking into the deep abyss. The crap about shoes is just silly, unless you think teleporting tears are more likely than cutting the shoes out of the picture. You also don't seem to understand how emotions work if you can't tell the difference between Korra before the cliff (no tears, no emotion, just a long sad walk) and Korra after the cliff. And finally, you don't seem to understand Korra's character, since simply being sad after losing her bending would actually be out of character for her.

Actually, I think both scenarios (teleporting tears and disappearing shoes) are equally likely. From what I gather, you think that the tear is shown simply to show that she was was looking down over the cliff, which is reasonable. However, I think it was shown for dramatic effect, which I think is also reasonable.

I never said Korra didn't experience some emotional turmoil while at the cliff. I didn't even imply that there was no difference in Korra's behavior prior to standing over the cliff. I think she begins crying because she knows that her bending is gone, and there is nothing she can do to get it back. I haven't seen anything that really screams that she was thinking about suicide, but realized that there was more to herself than her bending.

There's no dramatic effect to showing a tear drop unless it means something. If she's just standing at a cliff, it isn't dramatic because it's completely pointless. They wouldn't add a completely pointless scene into the big "Korra finally becomes the Avatar" moment. And she fully realized all of what you said before the cliff scene, that's what sends her there. She even admits that she isn't the Avatar anymore in her eyes, and that nothing is going to be alright. And the realization that her whole life is gone would make her depressed, not just sad. The kind of depression that is seen in her completely hopeless face as she walks to the cliff. The reason I said you obviously don't understand emotions properly is because you can't see how the two kinds of sad are completely different. And furthermore, just being sad about bending wouldn't make the Avatar State unlock at that moment, because that's exactly how she had been up until then. The flashing tear is the moment of light and clarity in Korra's mind, when she realizes what she's doing (the kind of rash and extreme action she's known for) is crazy.

I don't think anybody is suggesting that it means nothing.

AGAIN.

To me it was showing here feelings of isolation.

Maybe its supposed to be open interpretation, or just to give the viewer time to take in the situation and her feelings a little.

Share this post

Link to post

And Ocarina, you're totally closeminded. You say the tear shot was done for stylistic purposes, but you don't seem to understand what that means. It is done stylistically, but is done so that it conveys the message that Korra is looking into the deep abyss. The crap about shoes is just silly, unless you think teleporting tears are more likely than cutting the shoes out of the picture. You also don't seem to understand how emotions work if you can't tell the difference between Korra before the cliff (no tears, no emotion, just a long sad walk) and Korra after the cliff. And finally, you don't seem to understand Korra's character, since simply being sad after losing her bending would actually be out of character for her.

Actually, I think both scenarios (teleporting tears and disappearing shoes) are equally likely. From what I gather, you think that the tear is shown simply to show that she was was looking down over the cliff, which is reasonable. However, I think it was shown for dramatic effect, which I think is also reasonable.

I never said Korra didn't experience some emotional turmoil while at the cliff. I didn't even imply that there was no difference in Korra's behavior prior to standing over the cliff. I think she begins crying because she knows that her bending is gone, and there is nothing she can do to get it back. I haven't seen anything that really screams that she was thinking about suicide, but realized that there was more to herself than her bending.

There's no dramatic effect to showing a tear drop unless it means something. If she's just standing at a cliff, it isn't dramatic because it's completely pointless. They wouldn't add a completely pointless scene into the big "Korra finally becomes the Avatar" moment. And she fully realized all of what you said before the cliff scene, that's what sends her there. She even admits that she isn't the Avatar anymore in her eyes, and that nothing is going to be alright. And the realization that her whole life is gone would make her depressed, not just sad. The kind of depression that is seen in her completely hopeless face as she walks to the cliff. The reason I said you obviously don't understand emotions properly is because you can't see how the two kinds of sad are completely different. And furthermore, just being sad about bending wouldn't make the Avatar State unlock at that moment, because that's exactly how she had been up until then. The flashing tear is the moment of light and clarity in Korra's mind, when she realizes what she's doing (the kind of rash and extreme action she's known for) is crazy.

I don't think anybody is suggesting that it means nothing.

AGAIN.

To me it was showing here feelings of isolation.

She is isolated, because she's isolated from everything that makes her her, and in the deepest sadness possible. You were supposed to feel that way, because that's what Korra did. Korra felt so isolated that she was about to kill herself.

Share this post

Link to post

There's no dramatic effect to showing a tear drop unless it means something. If she's just standing at a cliff, it isn't dramatic because it's completely pointless. They wouldn't add a completely pointless scene into the big "Korra finally becomes the Avatar" moment. And she fully realized all of what you said before the cliff scene, that's what sends her there. She even admits that she isn't the Avatar anymore in her eyes, and that nothing is going to be alright. And the realization that her whole life is gone would make her depressed, not just sad. The kind of depression that is seen in her completely hopeless face as she walks to the cliff. The reason I said you obviously don't understand emotions properly is because you can't see how the two kinds of sad are completely different. And furthermore, just being sad about bending wouldn't make the Avatar State unlock at that moment, because that's exactly how she had been up until then. The flashing tear is the moment of light and clarity in Korra's mind, when she realizes what she's doing (the kind of rash and extreme action she's known for) is crazy.

She probably realizes that she can't have her bending back after seeing Katara, so she goes to the cliff and cries about it.

What two kinds of sadness are you talking about? I'm not saying she isn't sad or depressed, so I don't understand why you're trying to convince me that she was. I just don't think that there was any evidence that suggested that she was going to commit suicide but decided against it.

Share this post

Link to post

And Ocarina, you're totally closeminded. You say the tear shot was done for stylistic purposes, but you don't seem to understand what that means. It is done stylistically, but is done so that it conveys the message that Korra is looking into the deep abyss. The crap about shoes is just silly, unless you think teleporting tears are more likely than cutting the shoes out of the picture. You also don't seem to understand how emotions work if you can't tell the difference between Korra before the cliff (no tears, no emotion, just a long sad walk) and Korra after the cliff. And finally, you don't seem to understand Korra's character, since simply being sad after losing her bending would actually be out of character for her.

Actually, I think both scenarios (teleporting tears and disappearing shoes) are equally likely. From what I gather, you think that the tear is shown simply to show that she was was looking down over the cliff, which is reasonable. However, I think it was shown for dramatic effect, which I think is also reasonable.

I never said Korra didn't experience some emotional turmoil while at the cliff. I didn't even imply that there was no difference in Korra's behavior prior to standing over the cliff. I think she begins crying because she knows that her bending is gone, and there is nothing she can do to get it back. I haven't seen anything that really screams that she was thinking about suicide, but realized that there was more to herself than her bending.

There's no dramatic effect to showing a tear drop unless it means something. If she's just standing at a cliff, it isn't dramatic because it's completely pointless. They wouldn't add a completely pointless scene into the big "Korra finally becomes the Avatar" moment. And she fully realized all of what you said before the cliff scene, that's what sends her there. She even admits that she isn't the Avatar anymore in her eyes, and that nothing is going to be alright. And the realization that her whole life is gone would make her depressed, not just sad. The kind of depression that is seen in her completely hopeless face as she walks to the cliff. The reason I said you obviously don't understand emotions properly is because you can't see how the two kinds of sad are completely different. And furthermore, just being sad about bending wouldn't make the Avatar State unlock at that moment, because that's exactly how she had been up until then. The flashing tear is the moment of light and clarity in Korra's mind, when she realizes what she's doing (the kind of rash and extreme action she's known for) is crazy.

I don't think anybody is suggesting that it means nothing.

AGAIN.

To me it was showing here feelings of isolation.

She is isolated, because she's isolated from everything that makes her her, and in the deepest sadness possible. You were supposed to feel that way, because that's what Korra did. Korra felt so isolated that she was about to kill herself.

Share this post

Link to post

There's no dramatic effect to showing a tear drop unless it means something. If she's just standing at a cliff, it isn't dramatic because it's completely pointless. They wouldn't add a completely pointless scene into the big "Korra finally becomes the Avatar" moment. And she fully realized all of what you said before the cliff scene, that's what sends her there. She even admits that she isn't the Avatar anymore in her eyes, and that nothing is going to be alright. And the realization that her whole life is gone would make her depressed, not just sad. The kind of depression that is seen in her completely hopeless face as she walks to the cliff. The reason I said you obviously don't understand emotions properly is because you can't see how the two kinds of sad are completely different. And furthermore, just being sad about bending wouldn't make the Avatar State unlock at that moment, because that's exactly how she had been up until then. The flashing tear is the moment of light and clarity in Korra's mind, when she realizes what she's doing (the kind of rash and extreme action she's known for) is crazy.

She probably realizes that she can't have her bending back after seeing Katara, so she goes to the cliff and cries about it.

What two kinds of sadness are you talking about? I'm not saying she isn't sad or depressed, so I don't understand why you're trying to convince me that she was. I just don't think that there was any evidence that suggested that she was going to commit suicide but decided against it.

She doesn't go to the cliff to cry though! She only starts crying after she backs away from the cliff. The two kinds of sadness are the first "Nothing is going to ever be okay again, everything is more terrible than it's ever been before". Then, while standing over the edge, she realizes what she's doing and falls to her knees crying, now just plain sad. She realizes that she can't even kill herself, and keeps crying, but knows that killing herself wouldn't be the right thing to do. Every little thing that happens in that scene, every facial expression and environmental shot. Her attitude before the tear spark are completely different, and Aang shows up almost immediately after. It's not a coincidence.

Share this post

Link to post

She doesn't go to the cliff to cry though! She only starts crying after she backs away from the cliff. The two kinds of sadness are the first "Nothing is going to ever be okay again, everything is more terrible than it's ever been before". Then, while standing over the edge, she realizes what she's doing and falls to her knees crying, now just plain sad. When she starts crying, the dead-eyed hopelessness of before is gone. She has hope for the future again. Every little thing that happens in that scene, every facial expression and environmental shot. Her attitude before the tear spark are completely different, and Aang shows up almost immediately after. It's not a coincidence.

She doesn't back away from the cliff. She goes to the cliff, and she starts crying. How is it unreasonable to think that she went to the cliff to cry?

I went back and watched the scene again. Six seconds passed from the scene with the tear to Aang's appearance. What happens in that six second span? Korra squats down and cries. I seriously don't see anything in her behavior in those six seconds that insinuates that she has hope again.

Share this post

Link to post

She doesn't go to the cliff to cry though! She only starts crying after she backs away from the cliff. The two kinds of sadness are the first "Nothing is going to ever be okay again, everything is more terrible than it's ever been before". Then, while standing over the edge, she realizes what she's doing and falls to her knees crying, now just plain sad. When she starts crying, the dead-eyed hopelessness of before is gone. She has hope for the future again. Every little thing that happens in that scene, every facial expression and environmental shot. Her attitude before the tear spark are completely different, and Aang shows up almost immediately after. It's not a coincidence.

She doesn't back away from the cliff. She goes to the cliff, and she starts crying. How is it unreasonable to think that she went to the cliff to cry?

I went back and watched the scene again. Six seconds passed from the scene with the tear to Aang's appearance. What happens in that six second span? Korra squats down and cries. I seriously don't see anything in her behavior in those six seconds that insinuates that she has hope again.

Maybe your problem is that you're only paying attention to the scene? I honestly can't comprehend how you're not seeing it, unless you're willfully ignoring everything we've seen so far. Everything we've known about Korra is that she sees herself as the Avatar. She's been the Avatar since a little kid, she values her ability to bend all of the elements above all else, hell, she even says (or her subconscious says) she's nothing without her bending, which has just been taken away from her, and as she says she's no longer the Avatar to Mako, she acknowledges that she has absolutely nothing left. Tarrlok's insistence that Korra is just a half-baked Avatar gets her mad enough to break into his office and confront him, since the words are obviously left burning in her mind "Still think I'm a half baked Avatar now?". Keeping in mind that Korra is pretty much the opposite of Aang in her personality, and that Aang was extremely spiritual and a great airbender, Korra's lack of spirituality can be attributed to the fact that she has no sense of self. Aang's problem was that he always put his own humanity before his Avatar duties. He ran away because he wanted to just keep being a kid, he didn't want to kill Ozai because of his own moral code, and so on. Because Aang knew who he was as a person, he was able to do all that spiritual stuff pretty easily, but had trouble with water, earth, and fire and the responsibilities of being Avatar. Korra on the other hand has no identity outside of being Avatar, so she can't really connect to her spiritual side, but masters three of the four elements fairly quickly. So when Korra's bending, what makes her the Avatar, gets taken away, she feels as if she has no identity. As soon as Katara tells us that the bending block is permanent, Korra leaves the room and starts walking away from everyone, trying to separate herself from them as quickly as possible. Even when Mako tells her he loves her, she just pushes him away from her. That kind of distancing behavior, along with her insistence that nothing will ever be alright again and that her identity has been taken away from her, seem to suggest that she plans on killing herself when she arrives on the cliff, since she has nothing left and will suddenly gain it all back through the Avatar cycle. Of course, once she gets there and takes one last look at the sunset while standing over the cliff (as shown by the tear), she realizes that she can't kill herself and backs off. By not killing herself, she admits that there's more to her than just being the Avatar. By having a sense of identity outside of Avatar Korra, she gets in touch with her spiritual side (spirituality is related to having a sense of self, since the best way in the show to embrace spirituality is to meditate, which leaves you with your own thoughts) and Aang shows up. Even if there wasn't the bending over the cliff, the change in facial expression, and the general set-up at the suicide scene, the whole act would fit with everything we've known about Korra up until that point, and the appearance of Aang would make perfect sense considering everything we've seen so far.

The alternate explanation is that the writers ran out of ideas and just made Aang show up when Korra was really sad to give the series a happy ending.

Share this post

Link to post

Wow, the discussions in this thread continue to go wild. Anyway, finally got the chance to see the season finale. I enjoyed it. Since they tied up so many loose ends at the end, it doesn't exactly make me excited for the next season. It's more of a "Well, where do we go from here?" kind of deal. I think I'm more excited at the thought that some of the original writers from A:TLA are coming back (or so I've heard) for the next season. Should be some real good stuff.

Share this post

Link to post

Guys... jesus... Korra has sustained mental trauma. Wasn't that totally freaking obvious the first time she freaked out when she saw Amon at the rally? Wasn't it totally freaking obvious every time she cried when she was powerless? The lies you people come up with, just to incriminate my father... (I quote this show a lot.)

The second season has already been written. It looks like the second part will also be its own complete story, but it would've been nice to at least drop a little hint of what's to come.

Share this post

Link to post

I'm paying attention to the scene because that's where we don't agree. I know she takes pride in being the Avatar, I know she pushed Mako and everyone else away, I know she's different from Aang, and I know she's sad because her bending was taken away.

However, nothing in the aforementioned scene suggests that she was going to kill herself but decided against it. I don't care what happened in earlier episodes. You said yourself that she backs away in that scene, but she doesn't. You said she understands that there is more her than being the Avatar, but there's nothing in that scene that points to that conclusion.

Share this post

Link to post

Oooooh, that's what you silly insane crazy people are talking about... yikes. That's REALLY dark, and looking back, you could definitely interpret it that way. But I interpreted it as just her wanting to get away, and the tear over the edge of the cliff just being that she wishes she could be closer to nature, but can't because she's lost her connection to it.

This argument is stupid. One person is arguing that Picasso drew a face. The other is arguing that Picasso shat on a canvas. You're both right. Keep going and the Oonagi will eat well tonight.